White House PR on illegal minors effort includes a 'border surge'

I was actually hoping that the Obama administration would take the crisis on our borders seriously and start deporting these kids immediately.Alas, the president has zero credibility with most of the country on immigration, and crisis or not, the White House is all about public relations and "optics" rather than concrete action.

The White House on Friday announced a new plan to speed the deportations of young children flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border, saying they would deploy more judges to handle immigration cases and establish family detention centers for those who entered the country illegally.

In a conference call with reporters, administration officials said that as of June 15, 52,000 unaccompanied children had been apprehended along the southwest border. The White House has been on the defensive over a huge surge in the number of young children entering the U.S. from Central America, with critics arguing that President Obama's immigration policies have encouraged illegal border crossings.

The White House said it would send more judges and staffers to reduce the backlog of immigration cases but did not provide specific numbers about the amount of additional workers.

“We are surging government enforcement resources to increase our capacity to detain individuals and adults who bring their children with them and to handle immigration court hearings in cases where hearings are necessary – as quickly and efficiently as possible while also protecting those who are seeking asylum," the White House said. "That will allow [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to return unlawful migrants from Central America to their home countries more quickly."

Earlier Friday, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called on Obama to deploy the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, but administration officials threw cold water on that suggestion.

“The policies of your administration have directly resulted in the belief by these immigrants that once they reach U.S. soil, they will be able to stay here indefinitely,” Boehner wrote in a letter to Obama.

More judges? Oooh - that will help. Our fearless president is tackling this problem the way he tackles all problems facing the country -- smoke, mirrors, and a speech.

The fact is, this won't get a single kid home any quicker and will expedite proceedings for those who will stay. Meanwhile, they are packing the banks of the Rio Grande on the Mexican side of the border, waiting for their chance to cross. So far this year, there have been 52,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border and another 39,000 adults with children apprehended. Every single one of those individuals has a right to an attorney and a hearing before a judge before they're deported. How many judges and lawyers are going to added to this "surge"?

This is pure PR by the White House and does nothing to address the serious crisis on the border.

I was actually hoping that the Obama administration would take the crisis on our borders seriously and start deporting these kids immediately.

Alas, the president has zero credibility with most of the country on immigration, and crisis or not, the White House is all about public relations and "optics" rather than concrete action.

The White House on Friday announced a new plan to speed the deportations of young children flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border, saying they would deploy more judges to handle immigration cases and establish family detention centers for those who entered the country illegally.

In a conference call with reporters, administration officials said that as of June 15, 52,000 unaccompanied children had been apprehended along the southwest border. The White House has been on the defensive over a huge surge in the number of young children entering the U.S. from Central America, with critics arguing that President Obama's immigration policies have encouraged illegal border crossings.

The White House said it would send more judges and staffers to reduce the backlog of immigration cases but did not provide specific numbers about the amount of additional workers.

“We are surging government enforcement resources to increase our capacity to detain individuals and adults who bring their children with them and to handle immigration court hearings in cases where hearings are necessary – as quickly and efficiently as possible while also protecting those who are seeking asylum," the White House said. "That will allow [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to return unlawful migrants from Central America to their home countries more quickly."

Earlier Friday, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called on Obama to deploy the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, but administration officials threw cold water on that suggestion.

“The policies of your administration have directly resulted in the belief by these immigrants that once they reach U.S. soil, they will be able to stay here indefinitely,” Boehner wrote in a letter to Obama.

More judges? Oooh - that will help. Our fearless president is tackling this problem the way he tackles all problems facing the country -- smoke, mirrors, and a speech.

The fact is, this won't get a single kid home any quicker and will expedite proceedings for those who will stay. Meanwhile, they are packing the banks of the Rio Grande on the Mexican side of the border, waiting for their chance to cross. So far this year, there have been 52,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border and another 39,000 adults with children apprehended. Every single one of those individuals has a right to an attorney and a hearing before a judge before they're deported. How many judges and lawyers are going to added to this "surge"?

This is pure PR by the White House and does nothing to address the serious crisis on the border.